iCan’t Wait!

by BCM Partnership on 10 September 2014

I know it’s a cliché, but I really can’t wait to get my hands on the latest instalment from Apple, the iPhone 6. The last 12 months has seen the slow and gradual decline of my iPhone 4, and although I’ve come to appreciate its buggy quirks, constant freezing and all round crappiness, I am deep down a material girl and I can’t wait to get my hands on the new sparkly iThing!

And now it’s here – the unveiling of the latest Apple product suite. The day every Apple fanboy (and girl) loves, the day every iOS developer dreads.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’re probably aware by now that the launch of iPhone’s suite yesterday, included not one, but two phones, and a piece of wearable tech.

Introducing the iPhone 6 (affectionately known now as ‘my new phone’), its much larger cousin the iPhone 6 Plus and the first wearable tech product from Apple, the Apple Watch.

So what do you need to know, to be in the iknow (yes… I went there)?

– Firstly, Apple has ditched its stance of “it’s not how big it is, it’s what you do with it that counts”. No girl has ever fallen for that, and I’m certainly not about to either! Apple must be intimidated by the big boys, as they’ve dived right into Android dominated territory with the iPhone 6 Plus ‘phablet’ which features an impressive 5.5″ screen. The screen on the iPhone 6 is bigger than its predecessor as well, with an equally as impressive 4.7″ screen. Along with the red Ferrari, the token blonde bombshell and the black AMEX, I anticipate that the iPhone 6 Plus will become the ‘phablet’ for the mid-life crisis.

– The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus run the latest platform offering from Apple, iOS8 which is due for download from 17 September. For anyone with an iPhone 4 (myself included) or earlier, you’d better upgrade to an iOS8 supported device or you can kiss good-bye to the latest apps and apple features. No more Kim Kardashian Hollywood App for you!

– Keeping true to Apple’s ethos, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are seriously sexy phones. They’re like the Ryan Gosling of the phone world. They are the thinnest Apple has ever released, at just 6.9mm and 7.1mm respectively. Gone are the square edges we’ve seen with previous iPhone generations. The iPhone 6 has more curves than Beth Ditto, with back and sides flowing into each other in a similar fashion to the latest release iPad Air.

– Apparently the processor has been increased to A8, which I hear from our devs isn’t a huge step, but teamed with the dual-core 64-bit architecture, it will see increased power efficiency and longer-lasting battery power (almost double that of the iPhone 5S). All I can say is that for me it translates to roughly 11 hours of browsing new arrivals at the Iconic, or about 50 hours of Mariah Carey’s greatest hits (cue the karaoke machine).

– And last but certainly not least, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are the first apple devices to contain NFC technology. Nerd alert: NFC or Near Field Communications is a wireless communications protocol which allows data to pass locally between two NFC-equipped devices and has been around in the Android world for a few years now. The reason this is important is because NFC is used to fuel Apple’s new mobile payment system, Apple Pay, which will see users ditch their wallet for a quick swipe of their phone. So, for consumers like you and me, it’s going to make it just that little bit easier to pay for your mid-morning double shot caramel latte. Unfortunately it’s only scheduled for release in the US for now, but watch this space as it’s sure to hit our shores soon.

Now onto the Apple Watch. The not-so-free set of steak knives in the deal. Usually I’d rather wear crocs, than sport wearable tech, but the Apple Watch has me thinking differently. The watch, available in 2015, is actually quite stylish, albeit I do have my heart set on the 18-carat rose gold, sapphire crystal edition (R&D budget anyone…?). In all seriousness though, the Apple Watch, the late arrival to the wearable tech scene appears to hold its own against some of the earlier to the party brands like Samsung Wear, Moto 360 and Pebble.

In conclusion, the improved processing power, increased resolution and continually strong aesthetics make the Apple iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus pretty desirable. Teamed with the Apple Watch, it’s a pretty cool suite of devices for the year’s release.

But, as much as I’m going to rush out and buy the iPhone 6 when it is released in stores next week, I’m not a complete iFanatic. I must point out the obvious, which is that most of the features the iPhone 6 markets, and even those of the Apple Watch, have been available in Android for some time now. Just saying…

My tip, these new products are going to be a massive hit.
Are you going to buy them? I know I will.
Now I’m off to pre-order my designer iPhone 6 case from Kate Spade.

I agree the hype with any Apple release is a force to be reckoned with - they know how to sell a product. However, that force doesn't rub off on me the slightest. I won't go on plans anymore for similar reasons, especially when you can purchase something like the Nexus 5, Moto X and OnePlus One for less than half the outright price, and jump on a month-to-month PAYG with the smaller MNVO carriers for around $18 a month. Makes sense to me :)

- James
on September 11

Great read.
As a 41 year old male, after reading your comment regarding "midlife crisis", I am now convinced more than ever to opt only for the iPhone 6 and leave the Plus to the men who need to compensate.

- Beth
on September 11

Great article Amy! iCan't wait to get my hands on the new iPhone either. The iCountdown is on!

- Gilly
on September 10

Great post Amy. It's about time Apple put out some wearable tech. Samsung's Gear Fit has been out for so long it's now a gift with purchase of the Galaxy S5. By the time the Apple watch come out I should have counted another 1830000 steps.

- Jona
on September 10

iWish... I wasn't 2 months into a contract with an iPhone 5C.
* facepalm *

Add your two cents?

Your comment has been received and will appear shortly. Thank you.

Name

Email

Company

Post your comment here

There was an error submitting your comment. Please review the fields and try again.